Political Quotes

“I think we are at a point now where we can ask the question, What is the will of the Senate? Because that is the question. We have an amendment here that proposes a new program of spending based on an emergency of about one-half billion dollars. I think that is the number. Five-hundred million is the total projected cost of the bill, but it is based on an emergency that is declared in this legislation to exist in agriculture. We understand the President has agreed that there is an emergency, not specifically that this amendment describes that emergency, but that a response should be made by the Government to deal with this problem. Now, I know that there are Senators who are wondering, well, what are the criteria? How are farmers going to be declared eligible to participate in payments under this program? There are questions that are very legitimate and, frankly, this legislation does not tell us much about that. It is leaving a lot of discretion in the hands of the Secretary of Agriculture. That is very clear. And this amendment could be subject to the criticism that it is too much, there is too much discretion. I am confident the department would have to issue regulations and describe some program payment benefit scheme that farmers would have to be governed by in terms of applications and eligibility. So there are some legitimate questions that can be asked.…”